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There was a story of a boy who was surfing the dark web; he clicked on a link sent to him, only to realize somebody was watching him through the other side of the screen, urging him to ask a question.

This story is a representation of how social media portrays what is known as the dark web. The internet is sectioned off into different levels of accessibility and content.

For example, you are currently on the surface web or clear web, also known as the most accessible and nice part of the internet. If you were to look up “RHS Arrow,” it would show up without an issue.

Then comes the deep web, which is portrayed as mostly boring. What a lot of people find in the deep web varies from computer coding to random data and information. The deep web is somewhat hard to access, but with a little bit of looking around, you might find a deep web website really easily. An example of a deep web website would be one where you can find someone’s current phone number, identity, and even address.

Lastly comes the dark web, the essence of anonymous users joining together and taking advantage of their invisibility. This part of the internet is truly terrifying and very real. It is very hard to access as a normal user; you’d need to conceal things like your IP address and accounts in order to maintain safety. The possible outcomes of visiting the dark web as an exposed user would be getting investigated for “shady business,” getting your IP traced by another user, or leaving safely either interested or disinterested.

Why does everyone say it’s so bad?

Well, on the dark web, you can find almost anything. For example, cryptic and creepy recordings of somebody without their knowledge, illegal experiments done on pregnant women or children, people getting tortured and even murdered, illegal drugs and substances, and even an experienced hitman who promises to injure or even kill whoever you desire. Some people report getting addicted to the dark web; they said they went in once and did it again, and again, and again.

An example of a dark web website would be “cannibal cafe,” a website which is now taken down. This website was filled with cannibals discussing how to perfectly cook and season human meat, how to search for victims, and make deals with other individuals who would like to be consumed.

A lot of users of the dark web use a browser called “Tor,” also known as “The Onion Router.”

This browser makes the users completely anonymous, letting them communicate without exposing their identities.

However, is the dark web entirely bad? Not really.

What some people do not realize is that the dark web is not always about illegal crime and activity. The dark web is also used by individuals who live in other countries, who don’t have freedom of speech or can freely browse the web as we do.

For example, when Turkey temporarily blocked ProtonMail for some users, the only way they could access e-mail was through Tor.

Sure, that doesn’t justify all the terrible things you can find in the dark part of the internet. Like another story of a user who ordered a mystery box, just to find his mother’s sweater and jewelry box, even a picture of his house. However, it is guaranteed that this story is most likely fake, and if it’s not, then it probably won’t happen to you.

That doesn’t mean you should go ahead and search for the dark web, as it is still dangerous and could be illegal depending on where you live. Just a warning that if you do manage to find it, it is not as interesting as you think.

Some of the times, you might think you’re in the dark web when you’re actually still in the surface web. Unfortunately, the surface web has a lot of illegal content and activity too, but it is never comparable to what you’ll find if you dive into the deepest parts of the dark web.